Edward Burns on His New Movie, 'The Fitzgerald Family Christmas'

When supermodel Christy Turlington was growing up, her whole family would wear identical pajamas on Christmas morning. Filmmaker and actor Edward Burns slips in that kind of detail about his wife–and dozens of other traditions gleaned from his family and friends–to infuse his new film, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, with the unmistakable realism that characterizes the best indies.

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The Fitzgerald Family Christmas is an intimate, character-driven story about a working-class family with the heart of a holiday tale. Burns plays a pub owner attempting to gather his six close-knit, raucous siblings–who have issues including infidelity, rehab, and interfaith marriage–for some Christmas forgiveness. At the center of this whirling storm is the charming, quiet, thoroughly grown-up romance of Burns and Connie Britton. Britton, whose career-on-fire includes roles on Nashville, American Horror Story, and Friday Night Lights, has starred in several Burns's films (including his first, The Brothers McMullen). We chatted with Burns about filmmaking, family, and his tips for surviving the holidays:

ELLE: How much of the film is based on your own family?

Edward Burns: Fitzgerald is my grandmother's last name. But what interested me is that, with some of my friends–one is from a family of nine–that large families are broken down into smaller sub-families, and how they all have very different relationships with one another and completely different points of view about their parents. Or the idea that the oldest brother doesn't know anything about his youngest sister's life–that's completely from one of my friend's life. And I pull a lot of little moments from my own family, like the baby's baptism.

ELLE: Forgiveness is challenging for many families, especially during the holidays.

EB: When I started to write the screenplay, I didn't know what the theme would be. A lot of times when you're writing, the theme sort of presents itself. I realized it would be about forgiveness, and how difficult that can be. Early on, I didn't know whether Rosie would be able to forgive her husband for abandoning the family. I was going for something more like It's a Wonderful Life, which is my favorite Christmas movie, which is about going through rocky ground, emotional hardship, to get to the payoff about people coming together and supporting one another. It's about the importance of family and putting aside differences and celebrating what you do have.

ELLE: What's your secret for keeping your films real?

EB: Trust your actors. That's why I work with the same actors time and time again. I encourage them to change the dialogue to achieve one thing: keep the characters honest. Especially with actresses–if a woman would not say that or react that way in a situation, let's change it. I try not to be too plot-heavy and to balance the dramatic with the comedic.

ELLE: What are you currently working on?

EB: A screenplay called Winter Spring Summer Fall, about a couple, which charts the relationship over the course of a year. We're going to shoot twelve short films over twelve months, starting in January.

ELLE: What are some of your and Christy's Christmas traditions in Tribeca?

EB: We take the kids to look at the [Rockefeller Center] tree; we celebrate Christmas morning in our apartment. Then we pack up the car and drive out to my sister's house in Long Island, and that's where my family gets together for dinner.

ELLE: What are your tips for surviving the holidays?

EB: One, get your shopping done early–don't leave it for Christmas Eve! Avoid bringing up that topic that you know is going to lead to blows. And make sure you cut yourself off after the second glass of Irish whiskey.